anyone else excited by the ipad as an AAC device?

[saintlydamemrsturnip]

I am! Looks ideal for ds1. All the advantages of the iPod touch only bigger.

How much will a ipad cost though? Still pricey i think?

yep, have already stated work on convincing dh we need one

at the very least, it menas I can have my iTouch back

seriously though, I only got my iTouch as a comapct distractor/back-up visual timetable resource (got it last summer, for the flights to Oz!) both girls are brilliant with it, and it saved many a situation fot us, both on the flights and out and about. in real world terms, we can now have a semi-unhurried lunch at pub/cafe, as dd1 will eat ehrs, then watch a favoured video on the ipod...

dd1 struggles a little with the size of the itouch, so can't wait to get ehr an iPad - she will be just about beginnignto trace letters, etc I reckon, and so the apps that dd2 currently uses to learn how to trace letters and numbers will be brilliant for dd1 on the larger screen.

No Marne not really - the US price is $499 - not sure about here £300 ish? Brilliant for an AAC device and typewriter and somewhere that can run iPrompts etc. It will be perfect for ds1. And not $8000 which the last device I looked at was!

Not us much as i thought .

Do you think people could get these through 'family fund'?

I htink we'll get shafted on the price over here - we normally do.

So it might well end up being a pounds-for-dollars situation. but even so, at £500, it would be an absolute steal, for the size, usability, and sheer brilliance of the thing (can you tell I'm a convert )

LOL silver you sound like me

Maybe Marne. Have you seen proloquo2go?

God, YES!!!
Truly amazing.Have talked of not much else with colleagues over last few days.

I was looking at switches to use with one about an hour ago!

When is it due out here? If it's here by May I will try and get it for ds1's birthday (grandparents never know what to get him so they might be keen to contribute).

There's a piece in this months Autism File written by a non-verbal boy who learned to type with Soma - he says in there he likes the iPhone but the keyboard is too small- he will be delighted

I'm interested in this too - haven't tried the IPod Touch or DSLite Tap To Talk as I know they would be too fiddlly for DS2 and also too small to grab his attention iyswim. But the Ipad....excited

the thing that bothers me mst at the moment is that I have to cover up the beauty of my iTouch with a silicone sleeve (dds are only 2 and 5, after all!)

if once I they have an iPad, I can go back to wondering at my very own iTouch again

I think they're talking about having pricing levels etc lined up here for June-ish (don't take that as gospel, though)

It's probably the 3G bit that's holding up release - thrashing out the data pricing always takes time

Is it possible to remove the YouTube shortcut from the front screen (or ds1 will be watching trains not communicating)- that's been an issue with our iPod.

I'm excited by the keyboard as well. DS1 can use a keyboard but needs pinning down practically - he's very keyboard avoidant, I'm hoping on the iPad will encourage him to get over that!

can you not just delete,as with any other app? (can't try ti, as dd1 currently has my iTouch at school - grrr. if this continues, might have to just get myself another iTouch! still, it's great that she's being taught how to se it properly)

Probably, but I don't want to lose it completely. I'd like it on a hidden screen iyswim.

hmm, a quick google suggests only possible if you have jailbroken your ipod (which invaidates warranty - depending on age of ipod, this might be an option?)

I'll ask my brother - he'll know!

have found this talking about hiding aps with parental controls.

can't try it out as dd1 hsa my ipod, but worth trying?

it's the latest ipod offering - itouch

been around for a couple of years now, and is a truly amazing thing. great apps ofr everyone, easy to use for dd1, with a fantastic visual prompt app for her, and for me (when i manage to get my hands on it!) internet, video playback (either downloaded or iplayer - great when i have to wait with dd1 as she goes to sleep) email, etc.

a truly wonderous thing

We got ds the itouch thing for Christmas with the proloquo app. He deleted it within about 2 seconds which put dh in a frenzy on Christmas morning as he tried to retrieve it! It hasn't been terribly successful so far, we need to find out how to simplify it (eg about 50 different drinks on there, he only needs about 4), but also he is very resistant to using it and tries to switch it off we try to get him to use it to communicate.
However, he did play a game on it yesterday with me which is a bit of a first and I noticed how well he was pointing with his index finger, something he's really struggled with when trying to type on the computer keyboard. So if it's helping improve his co-ordination, at least it's not a total loss. Not sure that justifies forking out for the ipad just yet though!

switch it off if

thanks silver- yes will give it a go....

the itouch needs wifi to connect, so unless your hospital has a wifi hotspot, that's out.

it does have an internal speaker though, so you wouldn't have to use earphones. not brilliant sound, but good enough at low-ish levels. so you could watch/listen to stuff that way.

tbh, you probably need a netbook plus mobile broadband, but don't know how hospitals would view that, as they often insist on mobiles switched off etc.